USDA Secretary Vilsack, Skelton discuss ag issues at forum

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton discussed cap and trade legislation, food pricing and helping farmers access foreign markets in Sedalia on Friday.

The town hall meeting is part of the Obama Administration’s ongoing Rural Tour initiative that has Vilsack touring rural communities across the country to gauge the effectiveness of USDA operations and listen to  concerns about the federal government’s management of agricultural programs.

On Friday, more than 100 people, including a large contingent of farmers and people in the agriculture industry, asked questions and discussed their concerns about issues affecting agriculturalists at State Fair Community College.

Skelton provided the first question of the forum, asking how the USDA is working to help farmers increase exports with access to new markets overseas.

Vilsack listed Panama, Colombia and South Korea as countries where American-raised produce is reaching more markets. He noted that the pork industry is still recovering after many countries banned U.S. pork products in the wake of the swine flu scare, but agriculture trade is still operating at a surplus.

“Agriculture doesn’t have a trade deficit,” Wilsack said. “We have a trade surplus of between $12 and $13 billion.”

Vilsack also cited the government’s efforts to increase access to high-speed Internet in rural communities. Not only would greater broadband access provide farmers with greater real-time information on foreign markets, small businesses in rural areas would also benefit, Vilsack said, adding that Gov. Jay Nixon has expressed his commitment to improving broadband Internet access.

Matt Boatright, of Sedalia, asked Vilsack about the increased costs for farmers under the cap and trade legislation adopted this year in the U.S. House. Boatright was concerned about what plans exist to offset the burden on farmers associated taxes on fertilizer and the release of methane from livestock.

“My concern is that it appears certain segments in agriculture will have to deal with all the tax increase in energy costs,” Boatright said.

For the first ten years under the program, the government will provide benefits to fertilizer producers designed to discourage an increased in the fertilizer prices, Vilsack said. He also pointed to income opportunities for farmers associated with the production of alternative energy sources.

Vilsack said as more people seek to know where their food is coming from, smaller family farms could help promote local consumption, while larger farming operations will have an opportunity to sell surplus produce for the production of alternative energy, he said.

“I think we are developing a new paradigm here for rural America,” Vilsack said.